Battle of Dresden

The Battle of Dresden (26-27 August 1813) was a major battle of the Napoleonic Wars that occurred in and around the German city of Dresden. The 314,000-strong Austrian, Prussian, and Austrian army under Karl Schwarzenberg, Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf, and Peter Wittgenstein surrounded the city of Dresden, which was fortified by its French garrison. The rench erected a series of barricades in the streets and set up artillery positions, and they held the Allies at bay as Napoleon I's army of 135,000 troops marched to reinforce the city. The Coalition forces were repelled in their assault, and former French general Jean Victor Marie Moreau was killed in battle while serving as an adviser to Czar Alexander I of Russia during the battle. The battle was a modest French victory, inflicting 38,000 losses on the Coalition with 10,000 losses. The French failed to defeat the Coalition at Dresden, leading to their later defeat at the Battle of Leipzig.